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Click here to view McKeon speaking about the stimulus package earlier this week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today gave final approval to the controversial spending package crafted by congressional Democrats under the guise of economic stimulus despite the fact that not a single Republican voted for the bill.

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement:

"The single most important thing we could do for struggling American families would be to pass a fast-acting economic stimulus package that would protect existing jobs while creating new ones. Unfortunately, the spending package crafted in haste, and in secret, by congressional Democrats fails to focus on this central goal.

"No one doubts the severity of the crisis we face. And no one believes we can stand by and do nothing while workers lose their jobs, families lose their homes, and Americans lose their faith in our nation's resilience. Doing nothing is not an option. Unfortunately, Democrats have set up a false choice with today's vote on the trillion dollar government expansion package. They want the American people to believe that the only options available are enactment of the plan crafted by Democrats, or doing nothing at all.

"Republicans came to the bargaining table in a spirit of bipartisanship with a plan that would create twice the jobs at half the price. We see the urgency, and we stand ready to act. Voting against the bill brought to the floor today was not a vote against action, it was a vote against wasteful government spending that will saddle future generations with a crushing debt. We could have done better, and should have done better."